(ANSA) - Rome, April 8 - The long-awaited restoration of the
mausoleum of Rome's first emperor could soon begin, after a
Saudi prince expressed interest in putting up the funding, mayor
Ignazio Marino said on Tuesday.
Work to overhaul the monumental but decrepit mausoleum of
Augustus in central Rome is due begin before the end of the
year, Marino said.
Work to clean and convert the surrounding Piazza Augusto
Imperatore into a pedestrian area should also begin at the same
time, added the mayor.
Built in 28 BC, the mausoleum has been used as a private
residence, bull-fighting ring and concert hall before it
eventually fell into a state of abandon and disrepair.
Successive city administrations have long made plans to
overhaul the monument as part of an organic project for the
piazza that saw the opening of a controversial new museum
complex to house the first-century BC Ara Pacis, designed by
American architect Richard Meier in 2006.
However, the mausoleum element of the scheme never got off
the ground.
"When we took office, we found that the funding for the
work had been removed," said Marino.
The restoration will be part of a broader project to
overhaul several of Rome's more famous monuments with private
funding, Marino said.
The mayor suggested some of this new money would come from
an unnamed Saudi prince who he met during a recent trip to Saudi
Arabia.
"One of the monuments that attracted him most was the
Mausoleum of Augustus, which is also one of the most costly to
restore," said Marino.
If all goes to plan, the start of restoration will coincide
with the 2,000th anniversary of Augustus' death in 14 AD.
Augustus' mausoleum restoration to begin this year
Project to be funded by Saudi prince, mayor says